Philadelphia 76ers: Are they under pressure to win now?
The Philadelphia 76ers will have a ton of people at their games next season. They will have a ton of young talent on the court. They will have a ton of expectations. That usually means a ton of pressure.
*Let’s take a trip back in time for a second…
In a 14 year stretch from 1998 to 2011, the Philadelphia 76ers made the playoffs 10 times.
They made it to the 2nd round five of those 10 times.
Even made a trip to the Finals.
No championships won, but at least they were relevant.
Life sure comes at you fast.
Rosters that once featured a pair of AI’s, Iverson and Iguodala, suddenly featured Michael Carter-Williams and Evan Turner.
More from Philadelphia 76ers
- 3 Reasons the 76ers Should Poach Blake Griffin From the Celtics
- 3 Most Overpaid 76ers Heading Into the 2023 Season
- Ranking Daryl Morey’s 3 Biggest Mistakes with 76ers
- 3 Teams Crazy Enough to Trade for James Harden
- James Harden Putting Career in Jeopardy With Holdout Threat
The win totals sharply declined. 34 wins in 2012, then 19..18.. and when it couldn’t get any worse..10 wins in 2015. Trusting the process or not, that was tough to watch.
And everywhere you turned, all you saw were busted knees, broken feet, and losses. Hope was dwindling, expectations were at an all-time low, and there was no real pressure to win.
But then something awesome happened in 2016. One of those feet healed, sorta. A near-seven foot Croatian kid started hitting shots. Confidence slowly grew throughout the organization.
And all of a sudden, the Philadelphia 76ers nearly tripled their previous total of 10 wins with 28.
*Now let’s jump back to present day
If you haven’t heard, the Philadelphia 76ers have traded up to number one overall in the NBA draft to take Markelle Fultz. He will join the young trio of Embiid-Saric-Simmons to create a “Big(ish)(hopefully healthy) Four”. A big four that will certainly look to start something special.
That “something special” will have A LOT of viewers present. In fact, the 76ers have sold over 14 thousand season-ticket packages for the upcoming season.
A franchise-record.
The number of eyeballs is increasing. The level of expectation is rising. Fans are getting anxious. Excitement is overflowing.
The pressure is on…
Or is it?
Well, according to ex-Eagles head coach Chip Kelly, “Pressure is what you feel when you don’t know what you’re doing”.
On Monday, the Philadelphia 76ers front office surely acted like they knew what they’re doing by making a bold, smart move. As they will now have three players who were/are arguably the best in their draft class. These kids are ballers, but will still need time to grow.
Even as 20k fans pack the arena expecting to see a win every night, there is no reason for any of these players to feel real pressure. Because there is simply no reason why any of the 76ers players should (realistically) expect to win now. Yes, that sounds pretty counter-intuitive to traditional competitive logic.
But young teams just don’t win in this league. Ask the T’Wolves, Suns, Magic, Lakers…
So maintaining reasonable expectations should be emphasized. They were still a 28-win team last year. Don’t expect to take down the Cavs and Celtics next season.
This is ultimately where Brett Brown needs to earn his money.
Brown is now tasked with coaching and mentoring a team laden with potential stars. He’s no stranger to handling talent, however, as he was an assistant coach with the Spurs for nine years prior to Philly. As the 76ers prepare to play in front of sell-out crowds next season, it’s Brown’s job to make sure his young superstars know that the pressure ISN’T on them..yet.